Blue and white flag with star in middle

Overview

A service flag or service banner in the United States is an official banner that can be displayed to honor those serving in the U.S. military.  These flags serve to remind others that preserving America’s freedom demands much.  They were first used in World War I, with subsequent standardization and codification by the end of World War II.  The individuals entitled to display the service flag are clearly defined in 36 USC § 901 which states:

A service flag approved by the Secretary of Defense may be displayed in a window of the place of residence of individuals who are members of the immediate family of an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged.

The U.S. Code also discusses the wearing of lapel pins.

It is the Military Family Support Group’s hope that more people become familiar with these important symbols so that proper sensitivity and respect may be extended to all military families.  Their service and sacrifice cannot be understated.


Blue Star Service Flag

The blue star, symbolizing Hope & Pride, on a white field with a red border, shall signify that one or more family members is currently serving in the armed forces.  Multiple blue stars are not authorized by the Department of Defense, but is a common enough occurrence.  The display of the blue star service flag shows a family’s pride in their loved one(s) serving in the military and the hope for their safe return home.  The service flag can even be displayed by businesses and organizations if one of its employees or members is currently serving on active duty.

Silver Star Service Flag

The silver star, symbolizing remembrance and honor, is reserved for those who have been wounded or contracted a serious illness or injury in a war zone.  Unlike the other two service flags, the Silver Star Service Flag may be flown by anyone, not just a family member, during war or peace time.

When the use of Blue and Gold Star Service Banners was formally adopted into the United States Code and made official, sadly the tradition of the Silver Star Banner was overlooked.  The Department of Defense, given the authority to govern the use of the service banners, concluded that existing Blue Star or Gold Star Service Banners and Flags could not be altered.   The new Silver Star Service Flag was designed and was quickly accepted and widely used throughout the United States.

Gold Star Service Flag

The gold star, symbolizing honor and glory, honors the individual who has been killed in action or has died while on active duty…someone who made the supreme sacrifice for his/her country.  The death does not have to be combat-related nor confined to either Iraq or Afghanistan.  The military service person must have died while in active service.

The city of Chicago’s flag has been proudly representing Chicago for over 100 years. It’s seen on hats and T-shirts and even tattooed onto the bodies of proud Chicagoans. It’s one of the most recognizable trademarks of Chicago, but do you know what it actually means?

How the Chicago Flag Was Chosen

The history of the Chicago flag dates back to 1915 when Mayor William Hale Thompson established a municipal flag commission to review flag designs. Commission chairman, Alderman James A. Kearns, joined other prominent Chicago citizens, including impressionist painter, Lawton S. Parker, and industrialist, Charles Deering.

Poet, lecturer, and author, Wallace Rice, was selected by the committee to develop rules that would govern the open competition for designing the new Chicago flag. Over 1,000 entries were submitted for the contest, with the committee ultimately choosing a flag designed by Wallace Rice himself in 1917.

Rice’s flag consists of three main components: white stripes, blue stripes, and red stars. Each of these components has a special meaning and signifies an integral part of Chicago’s geography and history.

The Symbolism of the Chicago Flag

The Chicago flag is made up of five alternating white and blue bands and four red stars. Each of the bands has a special local, national, and terrestrial meaning, while every star represents an important event in history, with each point adding more to the story.

The original Chicago flag had only two stars on it; the other two were added over time. While the intended meaning for the first two stars is part of official Chicago City Council records, the meaning of the third and fourth stars are unofficial.

White Bands

The color white signifies the union of all colors and symbolizes the coming together of all races found in Chicago. The three white bands each have a unique meaning:

  • The top band locally stands for Chicago’s North Side, nationally for the Atlantic Coast, and terrestrially for all countries to the east and north of the U.S.
  • The center band locally stands for Chicago’s West Side, nationally stands for the Great Central Plains, and terrestrially for all of the U.S.
  • The bottom band locally stands for Chicago’s South Side, nationally stands for the Pacific Coast, and terrestrially for all countries to the west and south of the U.S.

Blue Bands

The blue signifies the colors of rivers and lakes, distant mountains, and oceans. Like the white bands surrounding them, each of the blue bands holds a special meaning:

  • The upper band locally stands for the Chicago River’s North Branch, nationally for the Allegheny Mountains, and terrestrially for the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The lower band locally stands for the Chicago River’s South Branch, nationally stands for the Sierras and Rockies, and terrestrially stands for the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.

First Star

The first star on the Chicago flag represents the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The six points of this star signify ideas of excellence that Chicago holds dear, including:

  • Transportation.
  • Trade.
  • Finance.
  • Labor and industry.
  • Populousness.
  • Healthfulness.

Second Star

The second star on the Chicago flag represents the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. The six points of this star signify Chicago’s spiritual ideals, including:

  • Religion.
  • Education.
  • Aesthetics.
  • Beneficence.
  • Justice.
  • Civism.

Third Star

The third star of Chicago’s flag was added in October 1933, commemorating the Century of Progress International Exposition of 1933. The six points of this star signify:

  • The third-largest city in the world.
  • “Urbs in Horto,” which is Latin for “City in a Garden.”
  • The city motto of “I Will.”
  • The Great Central Market.
  • The nickname “The Wonder City.”
  • The nickname “The Convention City.”

Fourth Star

Chicago’s flag’s fourth star was added in 1939 as a way to honor the Fort Dearborn Massacre. The six points of the fourth star refer to the development and history of the Chicago territory, including:

  • 1693: French domination.
  • 1693-1763: English domination.
  • 1763-1778: Territory of the State of Virginia.
  • 1778-1798: Part of the Northwest Territory.
  • 1798-1802: Part of the Indiana Territory.
  • 1818: Illinois becoming a state.

Controversy surrounded the fourth star of the Chicago flag, with many Chicagoans feeling that is was disgraceful to honor the Fort Dearborn Massacre.

A Fifth Star?

A much-discussed topic over the years is the possibility of adding a fifth star. Historical moments offered up as possible fifth-star nominees include:

  • The opening of the first public school in Chicago in 1835.
  • Chicago’s first railroad and the completion of the Michigan and Illinois Canal in 1848.
  • Abraham Lincoln’s presidential nomination in 1860.
  • The reversing of the Chicago River’s flow in 1900.
  • The imprisonment of Al Capone in 1931.
  • The first nuclear reaction happening under the University of Chicago’s football stadium in 1942.
  • Honoring the first black mayor of Chicago, the late Harold Washington.

However, the inspiration to stitch a five-star Chicago flag didn’t happen until the death of Chicago’s longest-serving mayor, Richard J. Daley, fondly called “Boss Daley,” in 1976. When local chatter seemed to predict a sure bet of a fifth star being added, South-Side flag maker, William George Newbould, took it upon himself to redesign the Chicago flag. His hope was to secure the bid and have flags available as soon as the proposal passed. However, the proposal was turned down.

In 2008, when Mayor Richard M. Daley, the son of “Boss Daley,” attempted to have Chicago host the 2016 Olympics, the five-star Chicago flag made another appearance. Used as a prototype to show the international committee what the new flag could look like if Chicago were to host the 2016 Olympics, the five-star Chicago flag was presented as a gift to visiting Olympic committee members.

The most recent proposal for the fifth star arose in May 2020 when Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for a new star to commemorate the coronavirus pandemic.

Perhaps just as famous and recognizable as the Chicago flag is Chicago’s own deep-dish style pizza. We can’t tell you if and when a fifth star may be added to the flag, but we can guarantee some of the best deep-dish pizza around at Pequod’s Pizza.

What flag is blue and white with a star in the middle?

national flag consisting of a light blue field with a central white star.

What does a blue flag with a white star mean?

The symbolism of the Lone Star is independence and was used often during the 19th Century in the southern United States. Its blue field represented truth upon which was placed a single white star, representing purity.

What does the Bonnie blue flag look like?

The Bonnie Blue Flag was the unofficial banner flag of the Confederate States of America during the start of the Civil War in 1861. The flag consists of a blue field with a single white 5-point star in the center. The flag is similar in appearance to the Republic of West Florida's flag of 1810.

Why is it called the Bonnie Blue Flag?

In the 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell and the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, Rhett Butler nicknames his newborn daughter "Bonnie Blue" after Melanie Wilkes remarks that her eyes will be "as blue as the bonnie blue flag."